QC Flashcards
Basic principles that can help improve the efficiency of a department?
- budgets
- workflow
- inventory
- scheduling
- resources
What are capital budgets?
- for long term financing
- larger purchases such as major equipment or facilities
- things that aren’t consumed, depreciate over time
What is an operating budget?
- short term budget
- smaller purchases needed for day by day
- “consumables”
- usual based on the previous year
Who should monitor the supplies and materials?
Front line workers because we see it all
Factors that affect workflow in a department?
- staffing
- level of training
- organization of a department
- scheduling
- PM-preventative maintenance
- equipment
- team work
- communication
- weather
What does scheduling depend on?
- types of exams
- types of patients
- staffing
What is quality assurance?
Actions necessary to provide confidence that the x ray equipment and components produce diagnostic information of satisfactory quality with minimum doses to patients and staff
All encompassing management program used to ensure excellence in healthcare through the collection and evaluation of data
-optimal image quality
-accurate and timely diagnosis
-ALARA
A QA program examines what aspects of a facility?
All
- information quality
- clinical efficiency
- patient dose
What is the primary goal of a QA program?
Ensure accurate and timely diagnosis at the minimum dose to the patient and staff
“Enhancement of patient care”
4 major steps of establishing QC procedures?
- equipment must be functioning properly
- baseline performance values must be established
- reference test images must be available for comparison of QC
- result evaluation: acceptable limits and corrective actions must be determined
What is acceptance testing?
Process to verify compliance with the performance specs of the equipment
-results are used to set baseline values and acceptance limits on the operational performance of the equipment
Who performance acceptance tests?
Medical physicist
Purpose of a quality management program?
Control and minimize variables as much as possible
What variables is a quality management program controlling?
Human and equipment
- image receptor
- processing
- viewing conditions
- competency of staff
Quality is determined by what 3 factors?
- Expected quality
- Perceived quality
- Actual quality
What is expected quality?
- level of quality expected by the customer
- influenced by work of mouth (outside factors)
- we have the least amount of influence on this factor
What is perceived quality?
- based on customer’s perception of products/services (pt. experience)
- highly subjective
- hard to measure
- how well the staff perform responsibilities (greatest impact)
What is actual quality?
Statistical data measures outcomes and considered all factors that can influence the final outcome
Changes that affect DI departments?
- Advances in technology, equipment, and procedures
- Legislation and government regulations
- Accreditation Procedures
- Corporate buyouts and mergers
- Methods of reimbursement for services rendured
What is the cost of quality?
The expense of not doing things right the first time
What is quality assessment?
Measurement of the level of quality at some point in time with no effort to change or improve the level of care
What is is QC the same as QA?
No, its a component of QA
- deals with the technical aspects affecting imaging quality
- is a method of controlling images from start to finish
- ensures quality, repeatable results through the testing of equipment
3 levels of testing included in a quality management program?
- Non-invasive and simple
- Non-invasive and complex
- Invasive and complex
Non0-invasive and simple testing?
- performed by any tech
- simple test tools
- wire mesh test, spinning top test etc.
Non invasive and complex test?
- QC trained tech
- more sophisticated equipment
Invasive and complex testing?
- engineers/physicists
- take equipment apart
What is CQI?
Continuous quality improvement
-ensures and maintains quality, but also continually improves quality by focusing on improving the processes/system in which individual workers function rather than on individuals alone
What is output influenced by?
- supplier
- input
- action
Types of customers
- internal
- external
What are key process variables?
Components of any process that may affect the final output of the process
- manpower
- machines
- materials
- environment
- policies
Methods used to identify and analyze data
- Brainstorming
- Focus groups
- Quality improvement team
- Quality circles
- Multi-voting
- Consensus
- Work teams
- Problem solving teams
What is brainstorming?
Group process to develop a large bank of ideas
What are focus groups?
- small group focused on a specific problem
- can obtain additional info: surveys/interviews
- skilled facilitator required
What is a quality improvement team?
- group who implement ideas that focus group comes up with
- members of focus group: key customers, suppliers (pts and us)
What is a quality circle?
- group of supervisors/workers from same departments who share similar roles
- meet regularly to identify problems and form solutions
What is Multi-voting?
-used after brainstorming to filter out non-essential ideas and focus on realistic solutions, least votes get eliminated until 1 idea remains
What is consensus?
-after brainstorming, can decide on most important idea to be addressed
What are work teams?
- members are highly trained in their area
- empowered to take corrective action
- focus on solving a complete problem of task instead of just one step in the process
What are problem solving teams?
- work on specific tasks/problems
- identify, analyze, and solve quality and productivity issues
Which of the methods can be applied after brainstorming?
Focus groups, multi-voting, and consensus
What are the minimum requirements of a quality management program?
- equipment quality control
- administrative responsibilities
- risk management
- radiation safety program
What is an adverse indicator?
Undesirable, unanticipated event caused by medical management
What is a sentinel event indicator?
Unexpected occurrence involving death or serious injury or risk thereof
What is an aggregate event indicator?
Process or outcome related to many cases, desirable/undesirable
6 important administrative procedures of a total quality management program?
- Threshold of Acceptability
- Communication Network
- Patient comfort
- Personnel performance
- Record-keeping system
- Corrective action
What is risk management? Synonyms?
Identification, analysis, and evaluation of risks and the selection of the best methods for minimizing them
- safety and loss prevention
- total loss control
- loss control management
What is the purpose of a radiation safety protection program?
- ensure all employees are aware of their responsibilities to themselves and others
- must ensure patients, visitors, staff, and radiographers receive the minimum exposure possible
- create policies and procedures for safe handling of disposal of radioactive materials, accidents, and care of exposed patients
Classifications used by the FDA for medical devices
Class 1: General controls: less regulated, min potential for harm (lead apron, cassette)
Class 2: Special controls: general control not sufficient, special controls needed (collimators, contrast injectors)
Class 3: Premarket approval: most stringent, sustain/support human life (angioplasty catheters, guidewires, stents)
5 benefits of monitoring equipment?
- decreased downtime
- decreased dose to patient and techs
- decreased patient wait time
- decreased supply cost
- increased morale among staff
- increased rates of diagnosis
3 main components of a QC program?
- Visual inspection
- Environmental inspection
- Performance testing